New Seekers

Denel Dynamics has received further orders for its lagship Seeker 400 and smaller Seeker 200. The launch customer of the Seeker 400 was the Defence Intelligence division of the South African National Defence Force, which received its first aircraft in late 2015. The company is only now completing the handover and is still in the process of receiving a full military type certiicate. Denel revealed a first export order for the Seeker 400, but did not disclose any other details other than that the contract was substantial.

The order comes after the United Arab Emirates announced in November 2017 an order for a small number of Seeker 200s to replenish its UAV leet. (A Seeker II was shot down in Yemen in 2015.) The contract is worth AED 48.1 million. The Seeker 200 is an evolution of the Seeker II, while the Seeker 400 is a completely new design.

Denel Dynamics reports strong interest in its unmanned systems, especially armed versions. The company ofers the small Impi and Impi-S missiles or the unpowered GPS-guided P2; the latter has been exported to the Middle East. The semi-active laser guided Impi-S has a range of 3.2 nautical miles (6km) and weighs 15kg (33lb). Payload on the Seeker 400 is 100kg (220lb) and includes two sensor payloads and/or weapons.